AA problems are becoming tougher to fix when there is a lack of buy in
Jun 13, 2019, 6:52 am
#31
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW-In Plano & CDG-In the 11th
Programs: DL Diamond, AA revenue negative, Bonvoy Titanium +, Avis likes me
Posts: 3,209
I think that most of us on this board can see where problems are with AA, from the management down.. but once again we are only probably less then .5% of the passengers who fly AA
Their planes are running full, and unfortunately most passengers dont have the time to submit a note for bad service or lack of service,probably because they dont fly AA enough times?
I myself, having been using other OW airlines to get to where I need to be.. on the whole been very happy, got a TATL flight on AA in a few weeks, (my first of this year) lets see
Their planes are running full, and unfortunately most passengers dont have the time to submit a note for bad service or lack of service,probably because they dont fly AA enough times?
I myself, having been using other OW airlines to get to where I need to be.. on the whole been very happy, got a TATL flight on AA in a few weeks, (my first of this year) lets see
Jun 13, 2019, 8:33 am
#32
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Austin, TX - AUS
Programs: AA Platinum, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott
Posts: 1,625
Jun 13, 2019, 10:14 am
#33
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: AA LT Plat, UA 1k/1mm+, National EE, IC Plat, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 2,605
Finance/Management? HOW ABOUT, wait for it..... wait for it....
A SALES GUY/GAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Todays Millenials, GenXers, etc. with their fancy Harvard, Wharton, and heaven forbid(!) stanford MBA's are truly & totally lost, and clueless, if they can't spreadsheet/Excell the unspreadsheetable. Sales.
Point 1. The definition of a salesman used to be a guy/gal who could tell you to go to hell, and you would look forward to the trip!
Point 2. Throughout history, Soldiers/Employees have followed GENERALS into battle. Followed. Not one great corporate leader, IMHO, has come out of accounting, legal, route planning, purchasing, or the cesspool known as HR.
A SALES GUY/GAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Todays Millenials, GenXers, etc. with their fancy Harvard, Wharton, and heaven forbid(!) stanford MBA's are truly & totally lost, and clueless, if they can't spreadsheet/Excell the unspreadsheetable. Sales.
Point 1. The definition of a salesman used to be a guy/gal who could tell you to go to hell, and you would look forward to the trip!
Point 2. Throughout history, Soldiers/Employees have followed GENERALS into battle. Followed. Not one great corporate leader, IMHO, has come out of accounting, legal, route planning, purchasing, or the cesspool known as HR.
Jun 13, 2019, 10:40 am
#34
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: WAS
Programs: Free Agent
Posts: 1,754
Finance/Management? HOW ABOUT, wait for it..... wait for it....
A SALES GUY/GAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Todays Millenials, GenXers, etc. with their fancy Harvard, Wharton, and heaven forbid(!) stanford MBA's are truly & totally lost, and clueless, if they can't spreadsheet/Excell the unspreadsheetable. Sales.
Point 1. The definition of a salesman used to be a guy/gal who could tell you to go to hell, and you would look forward to the trip!
Point 2. Throughout history, Soldiers/Employees have followed GENERALS into battle. Followed. Not one great corporate leader, IMHO, has come out of accounting, legal, route planning, purchasing, or the cesspool known as HR.
A SALES GUY/GAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Todays Millenials, GenXers, etc. with their fancy Harvard, Wharton, and heaven forbid(!) stanford MBA's are truly & totally lost, and clueless, if they can't spreadsheet/Excell the unspreadsheetable. Sales.
Point 1. The definition of a salesman used to be a guy/gal who could tell you to go to hell, and you would look forward to the trip!
Point 2. Throughout history, Soldiers/Employees have followed GENERALS into battle. Followed. Not one great corporate leader, IMHO, has come out of accounting, legal, route planning, purchasing, or the cesspool known as HR.
A younger Gen Xer or older millennial who will be around to fly AA for the next 50+ years are the only folks capable of creating a company culture that actually cares about the future of the airline.
Jun 13, 2019, 10:44 am
#35
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: MSY
Programs: AA Plat Pro, UA Plat, VS Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 2,531
Just in the past month I've had three cancelled flights (took refunds on all of them and booked a walkup fare on southwest or delta) and two delayed so long I blew an international connection. First time I got a refund and rebooked myself on lufthansa. Second time I took BA out and Finnair back. One of those incidents was weather, the rest were allegedly mechanical.
AA is an operational mess. Only my hatred of ATL is keeping me flying them right now, and at some point the need to reliably reach my destination will overcome that.
AA is an operational mess. Only my hatred of ATL is keeping me flying them right now, and at some point the need to reliably reach my destination will overcome that.
Jun 13, 2019, 11:25 am
#36
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: The Event Horizon
Programs: Flying Colonels, Go-Getters, WorldPass, Amerikat Expositors, Ephemeralizers
Posts: 82
Jun 13, 2019, 11:50 am
#37
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: CLT
Programs: AA EP, AA AC
Posts: 4,268
Jun 13, 2019, 11:53 am
#38
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Austin, TX - AUS
Programs: AA Platinum, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott
Posts: 1,625
Delta is where they are today because of Richard Anderson. And let's remember AA often copies Anderson's moves including frequent flier program devaluations. AAdvantage is on its way to becoming like Sky Pesos. At least Delta has several positive aspects to offset Sky Pesos.
Jun 13, 2019, 11:59 am
#39
Join Date: May 2005
Programs: BA Gold, AA PLT PRO, AGR, Strawberry (Nordic Choice), Marriott Bonvoy
Posts: 4,235
I constantly fly the international routes which are loaded with crews with decades of seniority and they are a cantankerous crowd compared to the generally younger crews on my domestic positioning flights. The veteran crews remember a time when they had better pay, better working conditions and better benefits and they will never respect management, no matter who is at the helm, and unfortunately for us, that translates to bad customer service. They don’t like their jobs and dynamic, enlightened leadership isn’t likely to improve the situation. And don’t infer that I believe Parker is doing a great job - he’s clueless.
Last edited by salut0; Jun 13, 2019 at 12:25 pm
Jun 13, 2019, 12:03 pm
#40
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: CLT
Programs: AA EP, AA AC
Posts: 4,268
Delta is where they are today because of Richard Anderson. And let's remember AA often copies Anderson's moves including frequent flier program devaluations. AAdvantage is on its way to becoming like Sky Pesos. At least Delta has several positive aspects to offset Sky Pesos.
Safe Traves
Jun 13, 2019, 1:21 pm
#42
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
I hate to disagree with the prevailing wisdom above, but frankly if you were to replace Parker with the greatest leader in the history of the world, living or dead, I’m convinced that high morale at AA will never return unless and until the current core employees retire and new ones are hired. I constantly fly the international routes which are loaded with crews with decades of seniority and they are a cantankerous crowd compared to the generally younger crews on my domestic positioning flights. The veteran crews remember a time when they had better pay, better working conditions and better benefits and they will never respect management, no matter who is at the helm, and unfortunately for us, that translates to bad customer service. They don’t like their jobs and dynamic, enlightened leadership isn’t likely to improve the situation. And don’t infer that I believe Parker is doing a great job - he’s clueless.
Jun 13, 2019, 2:53 pm
#43
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AAdvantage PP
Posts: 13,913
Isn't that the crux of the issue. And maybe you can't blame them given what's happen to air travel over the past 30 years. I like watching some of the old airline promo films from the 60s and 70s on Youtube. Sans the smoking the the experience between today and yesterday is unbelievable. Today it's a half step above riding the NYC subway at rush hour. Much of this relates to the coarsening of society and it's not all happening in Y. Some of the behavior I witness in the AC makes me shake my head in wonder. Of course the airlines have given the masses what they want-dirt cheap fares. Those luxurious days of flying came with a steep price.
Parker has tried to run an airline within an airline. Flagship lounge and dinning, new lie flat seats, new bedding, amenity kits, etc. for the upper class and 30 inch pitch, small thin seats, no seat choice for the BE class. That would be hard to do for example in a retail store-a small portion that is Neiman Marcus (F/Y), one portion that is Target (PE/MCE) and Wal Mart for everyone else. Let alone a relatively small aluminum tube.
However, some of the younger FAs aren't any better than the 30 year old vets and some of the those grandpas and grandmas still run their butt off-like the older gentleman FA I had a couple of weeks ago in F PHL/BOS. I really give kudos to the older men and women that despite everything that's happen in this industry still try to treat customers like its 1969 not 2019.
Parker has tried to run an airline within an airline. Flagship lounge and dinning, new lie flat seats, new bedding, amenity kits, etc. for the upper class and 30 inch pitch, small thin seats, no seat choice for the BE class. That would be hard to do for example in a retail store-a small portion that is Neiman Marcus (F/Y), one portion that is Target (PE/MCE) and Wal Mart for everyone else. Let alone a relatively small aluminum tube.
However, some of the younger FAs aren't any better than the 30 year old vets and some of the those grandpas and grandmas still run their butt off-like the older gentleman FA I had a couple of weeks ago in F PHL/BOS. I really give kudos to the older men and women that despite everything that's happen in this industry still try to treat customers like its 1969 not 2019.
